• Nalin Prabhat will take over as DGP, J&K today
• Visits Balidan Stambh at Lal Chowk, pays tributes to fallen heroes
• Local terror recruitment deceased
Srinagar, Sep 30: Director General of Police (DGP) R.R. Swain on Monday reflected on his 30-year career, emphasizing his commitment to ensuring that the people of Jammu and Kashmir live in an environment free from fear and intimidation.
“Throughout my career, my aim has been to help create an atmosphere free from fear, and I believe I’ve played my part in achieving that,” said DGP Swain, on his final day of service. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of J&K, acknowledging the challenges he faced during his journey from SSP to DGP. “Not everyone is given such a chance, and for that, I am deeply thankful,” he said.
While paying tributes to fallen heroes at Balidan Stambh (Marty’s memorial) at Pratap Park Lal Chowk, he said: “For a police officer, Balidan Stambh holds the same reverence as a place of worship. It stands as a symbol of the countless heroes who laid down their lives for the cause,” DGP Swain said during his visit to the memorial. “On my final day of service, it is my solemn duty to honour these brave souls,” he said.
In response to a question about his journey from SSP to DGP and the challenges he faced over the years; the outgoing J&K police chief expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of J&K.
“Not everyone is given such a chance, and for that, I am deeply thankful to the Almighty, the government, and my colleagues,” he said.
The DGP said he tried to contribute to bring lasting peace, peace with dignity to J&K with all his sincerity, soul, body and the mind.
“I genuinely sought to bring smiles to people’s faces and eliminate fear from their lives. I am deeply grateful to all the mothers, sisters, children, elderly citizens, and everyone else for their unwavering support,” he said.
DGP Swain said that everyone in J&K deserves to live in peace, free from fear and intimidation.
“I am confident that I have made the most of the opportunity to help achieve this. Will step down this evening, with Nalin Prabhat set to take over as the new police chief of J&K,” he said.
In his coffee table book released on Monday, DGP Swain highlighted that local recruitment into terrorist groups had dropped to an all-time low of 8, compared to the five-year average of 113.
“The total number of civilian casualties due to terrorism also fell to 16, as opposed to the five-year average of 34. Additionally, the number of security personnel killed decreased to 34, down from the five-year average of 50,” he said.
DGP Swain also emphasized that incidents of stone-pelting and hartals orchestrated by terrorist-separatist networks have been reduced to zero.
In his message, he said that he always held that J&K Police, unlike any other police force in the country or for that matter anywhere else, stands out for two reasons.
“It is the toughest and yet the most people-friendly bulwark against terrorism and separatism in J&K. Besides fighting eyeball to eyeball with gun wielding terrorists, no security agency other than J&K Police fights and controls stone pelting mobs,” he said.
DGP Swain said with minimum loss of life and property something which the agent provocateurs sponsored by hostile foreign entities hate for obvious reasons.
“The other reason which makes J&K Police unparallel is its heterogeneity. It is a small mirror of the bigger J&K. It has personnel drawn from all regions of Kashmir valley, Gurez, Chenab valley, Pirpanjal, plains of Tawi, Ujh and Ravi; from all communities and faiths,” DGP Swain said.
He said the diversity within the force is to be seen to be believed. And so are the challenges they face. No other police force anywhere in the country is pitted against an adversary that has such open and brazen support from hostile entities sitting across the border.
DGP Swain said in fact, but for the foreign component of the opponent, J&K Police would have long ended the cycle of violence strategically aimed at defeating India in the region by inflicting thousand cuts over a hundred- year low intensity war.
“The saga of unsung heroes of J&K Police, those fallen and those alive are not adequately chronicled. There are instances of half of families having been mowed down while standing up for enforcement of law, peace and security of common men of J&K,” he said.
DGP Swain further said all of this is being made history as a new sun of peace and tranquility is rising in the horizon, a new breeze free from fear and intimidation is beginning to sweep the towns and countryside of Jammu and Kashmir.
“J&K police take satisfaction and pride in being the harbinger of this new dawn,” he said.
DGP Swain was appointed Additional Director General of Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 2020 in J&K, after the Union government ended J&K’s special status in August 2019. He also held the post of Director General of Police, J&K.
Meanwhile, Nalin Prabhat will take over as Director General of Police (DGP), J&K from October 01.
Highly decorated IPS officer Nalin Prabhat took over as the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday, following the retirement of R R Swain.
Prabhat, whose appointment was announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs in August, received the baton from Swain during a simple ceremony at the police headquarters here.
Prabhat, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, brings a wealth of experience to his new role. His distinguished career is marked by numerous accolades, including three Police Gallantry Medals and the Parakram Padak.
At 55 years old, he is known for his extensive background in counter-insurgency operations, having previously led the Greyhounds, an elite anti-Naxal unit in Andhra Pradesh.
In addition to his leadership in the Greyhounds, Prabhat has served significant roles within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including Inspector General of Operations and Additional Director General in the Kashmir region.
His recent tenure as Director General of the National Security Guard (NSG) was curtailed to facilitate his inter-cadre deputation to the Union Territories cadre (AGMUT) for an initial period of three years.
Prabhat’s extensive experience in J&K positions him well to navigate the Union territory’s complex security challenges, which include ongoing threats from terrorism and internal unrest.
His previous assignments have given him a deep understanding of the local security landscape, and observers believe his expertise will be crucial in addressing the region’s pressing security needs during this politically sensitive time.
